


Three times a week

by DobbyRocksYourSocks



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst/Sad, M/M, Tattoos, This was originally for Reigisa week, University, and piercings, and there were more chapters, but I liked this one the best, rei has tattoos, soooo I kept this one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-01-22
Packaged: 2018-03-08 06:02:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3198122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DobbyRocksYourSocks/pseuds/DobbyRocksYourSocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High Schoolers often make promises that University Students can't keep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Three times a week

“Who did you say your roommate was again Nagisa-kun?”

“Oh I can’t remember his name! It wasn’t girly is all I know. How can I possibly be friends with someone who doesn't have a girly name?”

“I’m sure you’ll manage Nagisa-kun. Besides, we’ll be seeing each other so often it will feel like we’re roommates anyway.”

“Of course, Rei-chan!”

-

“At least three times a week Rei-chan! Promise?” Nagisa looked up at the blue haired boy, his hand resting on his chest and he had just lifted his head from Rei’s shoulder.

“Yes Nagisa-kun, I promise.” Rei’s hand carded through the blonde hair gently, staring into the magenta eyes fondly, his mouth turned up into a soft smile.

Nagisa shifted away from Rei’s shoulder and leaned back on his left elbow, eyes narrowed in scrutiny as he stared down the taller boy, “Really? Because I’ll be interrupting your study time, you know that right?”

“Yes Nagisa-kun a few afternoon of studying missed isn’t going to hurt me too badly. Nothing I can’t fix with an early morning study session the next day.” Rei shuffled so that he was resting against the headboard of Nagisa’s bed behind him.

“As long as Rei-chan doesn't work too hard,” Nagisa moved to settle himself so that his head could rest on Rei’s shoulder; he tilted his head so that he could kiss Rei’s neck softly. Rei bared his neck for easier access as Nagisa’s gentle kisses gained intensity.

-

His bags were packed, he’d kissed his mother and father goodbye and his brother was leaning against the door frame tapping his fingers against his upper arms impatiently as Rei took in the house he’d grown up in for the past eighteen years, the house he’d now be leaving behind for up to six months.

Well, there are weekends when he has no classes that he can return in if it pleases him but that’s beside the point.

“Rei-chan! Hurry up! I wanna get to our dorms and meet my roommate and see if they’ll let me put up my posters. Or get there first so they can’t refuse the posters.” Nagisa bounded into the room, pulling on Rei’s arm and dragging the reluctant boy away from his parents, both of whom looked quite composed. They had already gone through this with their eldest after all.

“I’ll look after him don’t worry.” Nagisa smiled politely at Rei’s parents, before pulling the taller boy completely out of the house, Rei’s brother trailing behind with his car keys jangling in his hand.

“It’s going to be so much fun, Rei-chan! We’ll make so many new friends!” Rei smiled nervously down at the energetic boy tearing towards his brother’s tiny car that he so kindly offered to drive them in.

“But don’t worry Rei-chan I’d never leave you behind! Remember what we promised? At least three times a week!” The blonde had successfully pulled him into the backseat of the car and was now leaning into his side looking up at him, grinning.

“Yes Nagisa-kun of course! I wasn’t even thinking about you doing anything of the sort!” Rei exclaimed, reaching to adjust his glasses nervously but his hand was intercepted by

Nagisa’s who pulled it down to his lap and leaned up to kiss Rei’s nose softly. He then adjusted Rei’s glasses so that they sat higher up on his nose and smiled sweetly.

“I know.”

-

“Kiyoko-chan is so nice! I mean she’s quiet, very quiet. I don’t think she actually talked once but she looked nice and she put up with all the guys falling to the ground around her so she has to be nice, right?” Nagisa’s feet rested on the wall next to Rei’s bed whilst his head hung off the side, his face was slowly turning red and his hair was brushing the ground each time he moved.

“Nagisa please sit up I’m sure that’s not good for your head.” Rei was sitting cross legged on the end of his bed sifting through his folders to locate the one he’d need for his studying tonight but found himself getting distracted by his boyfriends exposed hips as the shirt had ridden up whilst the blonde slid slowly off the bed.

Nagisa heaved himself upright and grinned at Rei, his hair mussed up and his face flushed bright red. Rei cleared his throat shakily and looked back down at his folders flipping through their contents with twitchy fingers until the folder was slipped out of his hand and there were hands around his shoulders and another mouth on his own and Rei decided that his homework could wait if only for tonight.

-

The music was loud, the drinks were flowing and everybody was dancing and screaming or singing as some liked to label it. Lights were flashing and slowly driving Rei to either blindness or madness, they were racing each other to the brink, Rei bet upon madness winning despite blindness’s clear head start.

Nagisa had managed to drag Rei into this club, his favourite apparently, and Nagisa had also managed to lose Rei completely, or perhaps it was the other way around. Rei couldn't quite remember. He knew that one moment Nagisa was grabbing at Rei’s hips and throwing his head around wildly, his voice loud and rough, mixing with the various other voices doing exactly what Nagisa was, ‘singing.’ Next thing he knew someone else was grabbing his hips, bigger hands, sweatier hands and Rei had spun around and shoved the new dance partner away from him before storming off towards the bar hoping to find Nagisa who had seemingly vanished.

This really wasn’t Rei’s scene, it wasn’t beautiful all these groping, dancing, sweaty young people together in a smallish room, drinking, screaming, giggling and crying. It was all too loud and the music that pounded itself into Rei’s head wasn’t what he’d typically choose to listen to.

Sipping his beer as he leaned against the bar behind him Rei let out a sigh of annoyance, it’d been at least half an hour since Nagisa had slipped away and Rei couldn't decide if he wanted to be angry or worried. After all the blonde had been to this club before and he’d been in this situation many more times that Rei had so Nagisa was more experienced and less likely to get trapped among the dancing bodies but still, he was so little and in Rei’s eyes naïve.

Minutes ticked by as Rei waited by the bar, considering leaping into the fray of people and searching for his wild blonde boyfriend but figuring it wouldn't make much of a positive difference. If Nagisa wanted to find him, he could come to the bar and he’d see Rei there, waiting. He’d realise that perhaps this wasn’t what his boyfriend considered a good time and they could leave, go back to his dorm room or a café or somewhere quieter, softer, less stupid.

After around an hour and a half had passed Rei decided Nagisa wasn’t coming to find him and he couldn’t be bothered looking for him, worry had arose within him for the safety of Nagisa but annoyance had taken over for the first time Rei could remember. Usually Nagisa’s antics were annoying and frustrating but never so much so that Rei would simply give up on the other boy.

He’d caught a taxi back to his dorm and then immediately called another one, this time he asked the driver to take him to a tattoo artist across the road from his favourite coffee shop. He’d wanted to get it done for months now and he’d been meaning to tell Nagisa about his idea, tonight actually. But if Nagisa would rather dance with strangers then enjoy a night with Rei then he obviously had no place in this decision.

It was painful, the tattoo artist had been closing up but faced with the sum of money Rei offered couldn't turn him down, it’d been a fairly long process and only the lines of the tattoo had been completed, he’d be back again in future to get the colour done but for now it was enough. The outlines of butterflies, that would soon be spread across his back, hopefully in blues and purples but he wouldn't mind a monarch butterfly mixed among them.

That was the first time Nagisa left Rei behind and the first of Rei’s tattoos.

-

“Nagisa-kun, I’m sorry but I can’t I have a study group meeting.” Rei said into his phone as he whipped his keys from the desk and slid his wallet into his back jeans pocket, he let the phone lie on the ground as he locked his front door and picked it up again to hear the tail-end of Nagisa’s long winded sentence.

“-at least 10 minutes Rei-chan,” The voice was whining, more with the pretense of wanting Rei to meet him somewhere and then leaving the taller boy stranded than the actual desire to see him.

“Sorry Nagisa-kun, I’m busy, maybe tomorrow?” Rei offered as he wandered down path towards the bus stop.

“We almost never hang out anymore Rei-chan. I haven’t even kissed you in two weeks now!” Nagisa moaned pitifully and Rei held back a sigh of annoyance, it wasn’t his fault

Nagisa had been too busy to see Rei and it wasn’t his fault that his appointment happened to fall on the one afternoon Nagisa’s social calendar was empty.

Nagisa hadn't even seen the black ink now imprinted on Rei’s skin. Rei was beginning to think his ‘boyfriend’ never would.

“I’m sorry Nagisa-kun but I really can’t tonight.”

-

Rei hadn't been particularly close with Rin before he left high school to go to Australia and become a professional swimmer, he’d been friends with the brash red head but not close. Not like Makoto and Haru and even Nagisa or Sousuke. It seemed everyone had more experience with Rin than Rei did.

But when Rin had called him up on a late Friday afternoon asking about going out for a meal and maybe something to drink Rei took up the offer without question. Nagisa had cancelled another date on him, this had been the third time in a row this date had been cancelled, one of those cancels had been Rei however and not for any good reason aside from, ‘It’s cold and my dorm room is far too cozy for me to even consider leaving.’

Which of course had translated to, ‘I think I’m coming down with something Nagisa-kun, I’m afraid we’ll have to postpone.”

The meeting had been interesting; it was a warm night so Rei had decided upon a shirt that happened to show some of his back when he leant over and reveal his shoulders and upper arms. The butterflies had spread from his lower back to his shoulder blades and curving over his shoulders beginning to take the descent down his arms.

Rin had been entranced by the tattoos, exclaiming his disbelief that Rei of all people would have tattoos and this many of them! It was a focus point in their conversation; somehow Rin had managed to bring everything back to the fact that Rei had tattoos now, a lot of tattoos but somehow it had drifted to the topic of Nagisa, a topic Rei tended to avoid nowadays.

“So how have you and Nagisa been?” Rin questioned, tipping up his bottle of beer to reach the dregs at the bottom and pulling back from the bottle with a grimace as he placed it, now empty, on the table.

“Oh, alright, I haven’t been seeing much of Nagisa-kun. He’s quite…pre-occupied I suppose you could say. There are many different people to meet here after all and Nagisa-kun seems quite determined to meet them all.” Rei smiled politely as he spoke but his bitter tone leaked through the forced politeness and Rin raised his eyebrows curiously.

“Too busy meeting other people to go out with his boyfriend?” Rin questioned, shifting forwards in his chair so that his elbows rested on the table and his chin was on top of his folded hands.

“Well…yes,” Rei looked down at the tabletop and ran his finger through the condensation brought on by his glass of water, “Nagisa-kun doesn't know about my tattoos yet.”

Rin’s eyebrows flew higher up into his hairline before crashing back down until they nearly folded over his bright eyes, “Rei…how long has it been since you've actually seen Nagisa?”

“A few weeks but my shirts have always been quite long so he hasn't exactly had the chance to see…anything.”

-

Their break-up hadn't really been all that unexpected, they hadn't touched each other in a year, they hadn't spoken properly in months and their meetings became less and less frequent. Sometimes a whole month could pass by and Rei would realise he hadn't seen Nagisa once until he saw the blonde wandering into a classroom with bags under his eyes and his hair wet from his shower.

Nothing was really said, no-one really cried.

Well not at that minute anyway.

Rei had asked Nagisa to meet him at his least favourite coffee shop.

Nagisa had arrived ten minutes late.

Rei hugged him hello.

They shared a silent coffee, Rei’s sleeve slipped up and Nagisa caught sight of a few beautiful blue butterflies inked into the skin of Rei’s wrist.

Nagisa didn't ask when he got them.

Nagisa did ask if he wanted to break up with him.

Rei said yes.

Nagisa finished his latte, stood up and left the shop.

Rei left his own cup and went to his favourite coffee shop across the road from the tattoo parlour.

Hazuki Nagisa and Ryugazaki Rei were no longer together.

And neither of them knew if they were fine with that.

-

Later that night Rei sat on his bed, head pressed against the cool brick behind him. His ears stung, his stomach whined, his eyes watered and his throat was dry but he did not move. Rei didn't move until his roommate came home the next morning and forced him into bed with cold medicine that he didn't need and a bottle of water.

-

Early that morning Nagisa lay on a dirty couch he was previously passed out on. He could smell vomit and alcohol and hear the sounds of others sighing and snorting, he could hear shuffling feet and quiet pained moans. He felt hot tears drip down his cheeks and hit the stained couch. He let himself lie there until someone poked him, asking him if he  
could kindly “Get the fuck out.”

-

A heavily tattooed gentleman walked through the doors of Iwatobi High School, his hair was blue and messily styled; his clothing was loose around his body and quite stylish for the time. His eyebrow contained a metal stud as did his ears, multiple times.

A blonde man who was of average height wandered through the doors of Iwatobi High School, his hair was a mess and his face was aging but he looked happy. His clothing choices were stylish if a bit domesticated; he had no piercings or tattoos that the public could see.

The tattooed man nodded at the blonde with laugh lines.

The blonde nodded back at the tattooed man with red glasses perched on his nose.

Later the blonde cried in the school bathrooms until he felt like vomiting.

Later the tattooed man cried in his car until his throat hurt and he felt the need to get something pierced again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno if this is angsty or sad but it's something and it's late. I know. Whoops. I'm gonna change the title of this thing cause it sucks. Other than that thanks for reading. Comment if you want or have any constructive criticism for me. Kudos would be lovely, thanks to those three people who already have. You guys are awesome. Alrighty. 
> 
> Added stuff: I just finished reading Fangirl if that isn't obvious enough. 
> 
> (And I love the idea of Rei with tattoos like holy fuck how beautiful, add piercings to the mix and I am dead.)

**Author's Note:**

> Apart of Reigisa week. The angsty day. Wooo. Comments and Kudo's are appreciated. Thanks for reading!
> 
> (And I definitely wrote this after finishing Fangirl can you tell?)


End file.
